


anything for my darling

by coupe_de_foudre



Category: Band of Brothers (TV 2001)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Christmas Decorations, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:41:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28098600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coupe_de_foudre/pseuds/coupe_de_foudre
Summary: “You're my soulmate?”The smile that breaks out across Babe's face is purely angelic. The laugh that follows more so. “Finally!”
Relationships: Edward "Babe" Heffron/Eugene Roe
Comments: 6
Kudos: 20
Collections: Heavy Artillery Holiday Exchange 2020





	anything for my darling

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Anthrobrat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anthrobrat/gifts).



> I am a total sucker for Soulmate AUs (and baberoe has a soft spot in my heart) so I was more than excited to write this!
> 
> Based off of this trope: you have your soulmate's words written on your skin, except they aren't their first words. they're the first words they say after you have fallen in love with them, which means you can know your soulmate for days, months, even years without even realising it until you hear those words - the moment you realise you love them

“Baaaabe,” Gene sings down the hall, calling his boyfriend into the room. Babe comes running, almost tripping over the boxes littering the doorway, hair mused and a red mark on his cheek from where he must've been leaning as he studied.

“Are you okay?”

Gene rolls his eyes playfully. “I'm fine.” He gestures towards the tree he'd assembled in the corner of the room, finally decorated with red and white tinsel and baubles to match. It only took him two hours. “I can't get the star on top.”

Babe's face lights up at the sight of the tree, eyes glimmering almost as bright as the fairy lights weaved between the branches. “It looks beautiful!”

Gene chuckles. His boyfriend has always been a sucker for Christmas. It's his favourite time of the year. Gene, himself, never used to find much joy around the holiday but ever since Babe moved in with him he's found it to be far more enjoyable.

“Babe,” he whines, smiling wide nonetheless, “the star.”

Babe nods, grinning. “Right. Star.” He looks around him, taking in the many boxes of decorations yet to go up. “Where is it?”

“Uh...” Gene drops into a crouch by the nearest box, mostly only broken baubles left in it, and pulls out the golden star they use for the tree topper. “Here.” Passing it over to Babe, he moves out of the way so that he can get by.

Babe squints up at the tree, almost as though he's challenging it, and Gene fights back a laugh; his boyfriend is such a dork. Watching as Babe carefully reaches up to the highest branch, pulling it down just enough to attach the star without destroying Gene's work on the decorations, Gene can't help but think himself incredibly lucky to have such a wonderful boyfriend.

“After we've done this,” Babe's voice is strained as he stretches up, “can we make some of your ma's cookies?”

“The Christmas ones?”

“Yeah!” Babe sounds like a young child again, high on the magic of the holiday season. “Those cinnamon ones she does. I love those.”

Gene shakes his head, unable to wipe the smile off of his face. “Sure. I think I have the recipe somewhere.”

As he finishes speaking, Babe lets go of the tree and, miraculously, the star stays on. Clapping his hands together, proud smile on his face, Babe spins around to meet his eyes. “Piece of cake.”

“My knight in...” Gene trails his eyes over Babe’s attire. He's not dressed up because they had no plans to leave the apartment since Babe has an essay due Monday morning. Instead, he's donning a pair of old sweatpants and a worn Star Wars tee that hangs low past his waist. “Sweatpants?”

Babe beams at him, swooping down to steal a chaste kiss. “That's me, your knight in sweatpants.” Gene chuckles against his mouth, heart flooding with a familiar warmth that he feels whenever he's around Babe. Only, this time, it feels so much stronger. 

It's not just gratitude, or happiness, or even just admiration. No. It's love.

That realisation in itself causes Gene to go breathless for a moment, fingers clutching uselessly as the stretched collar of Babe's tee as he pulls away to fully take him in. 

Gene had always thought he loved Babe. But never had it felt like this; an all consuming heat, a deep-settled comfort, that spreads through his body, seeps into his bones, until his very fingertips feel on fire with the urge to just touch Babe.

“Thank you. For helping.” he whispers out, biting back the three words on the tip of his tongue, unsure whether now is the time to spill his true feelings out. He knows he doesn't need to thank Babe for everything that he does, especially not after two years of dating and double that time being friends, but it's an old habit that he can't seem to shake off.

“Darling,” Babe flashes him a fleeting smile, brushing fingers over his hand and giving it a light squeeze, “I'd do anything for you.”

Gene freezes. “Oh my God.”

“What?” Babe takes a step closer, panic clear in his eyes. “What is it? Did I say something wrong?”

“You're-” he takes a sharp intake of breath, shakily releasing it a moment later. The words, written in a scrawl that he really should've recognised by now, burn under the cuff of Gene’s sleeve. He doesn't need to look down to know what they say, yet, lost in the moment, he'd completely forgotten about them.

That is, until Babe literally uttered them word for word right in front of him.

“You're my soulmate?” He meant it to sound excited, because he was excited – elated, in fact – but the disbelief and shock won over and the statement became a question.

There was no way Babe was his soulmate. Yet, it made perfect sense. He'd just figured, after all this time...

The smile that breaks out across Babe's face is purely angelic. The laugh that follows more so. “Finally!”

“Wait,” Gene furrows his brows, “you knew? When did you find out? How long?”

Babe sighs, out of fondness rather than exasperation. “Sweetheart,” he chuckles, his smile softening as he lays a gentle hand on Gene's cheek, “I've known for almost a year now.”

“A year!” Gene winces at the volume of his cry, mentally reminding himself that everything is fine. “What made you realise?”

Babe's smile is fond, reminiscent, as he thinks back to the moment he discovered Gene was his soulmate.

“You'd just come home from work. It must've been late because I remember you were exhausted. I was playing video games when you flopped down on top of me, didn't even bother to change out of your work clothes, and you looked so damn soft when you lazily kissed my jaw. I guess that's what made me fall for you, properly y'know?

Then you looked down at your legs and groaned. You said “I got mud on the couch!” and, well, those aren't exactly words I'd hear just any day. You had to be my soulmate. And I was in love with you.”

Gene sighs. He vaguely remembers the night. Usually he'll throw his work clothes straight into the wash because they're covered in sweat and mud stains but if he's particularly tired he forgets. 

That mud never did come off the couch. He had to flip the cushion in the end.

“Y-you've known for a whole year and you didn't say anything?!”

“Well,” Babe drops his gaze, worrying his lip between his teeth – a terrible nervous habit of his. When he meets Gene's gaze again, there's a deep settled pain residing in those hazel eyes Gene had quickly come to call home. “I didn't want you to feel forced to love me, y'know? You hear stories, don't you, about people pretending they're in love with their partner just because they're their soulmate and I-” he sighs again, a heaviness in it this time.

Gene lifts a hand to his cheek, covering Babe's. He doesn't press, waiting patiently for his boyfriend – his soulmate – to gather his thoughts.

“I fell for you naturally, I _know_ , without a doubt, that I am utterly, unconditionally in love with you. But that doesn't mean _you_ have to be and I...I guess I didn't want to take away to chance for you to feel about me the way I do about you.” Babe bites down on his lip, no doubt drawing blood, holding his gaze with a steadiness he quite clearly isn't feeling inside.

Gene shakes his head, laughing even as he feels a lump form in the back of his throat. “How could I _not_ fall for you?” He cups Babe's face, making it impossible for him to look away. It was important that Babe knew how deadly serious he was. “You're it for me, Edward, always were going to be. Soulmate or not.”

Not waiting for a response, he pulls Babe down, closing the short distance between them until their lips crash together in a fiery kiss. It has all the passion of every other kiss they've shared, only now there's the knowledge that Babe is his soulmate. And isn't that a thought? His soulmate.

_His._

He smiles into the kiss, his heart feeling close to exploding with the overwhelming flood of warmth flowing through him as Babe responds with an eagerness not unfamiliar to him. He wonders, briefly, if this is how Babe’s felt every time they've kissed in the past year but he pushes that thought down, trying his best not to mourn over the time he's lost just because he'd been late to realise he truly loved Babe.

He's drawn out of his mind by a hand in his hair, fingers curling into it and tugging just harsh enough to cause him to moan softly.

“I love you.” he breathes against Babe's mouth, feeling the way Babe's lips turn upwards into a smile. 

“I love you too,” Babe replies, pressing their foreheads together as his eyes flutter open, baring every intimate emotion to Gene in that one simple action, “ _soulmate_.”

Gene's melts against him, laughing softly. As Babe brushes his lips over the tip of his nose, Gene realises just how much he loves Babe and he thanks God for blessing him with the perfect soulmate.

**Author's Note:**

> I know this is only short but I hope that it's still okay! I totally suck at long fics xD


End file.
